2016-04-19 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                      19 APRIL 2016


MWA’s review concludes:
Overall, it is considered that the air quality report adequately demonstrates that the proposed
service station satisfies Performance Outcome PO7 of the Brisbane City Plan 2014 Service
Station Code, as required by the Noosa Council Request for Additional Information.
Conditions could be applied to an approval to address the development’s operation and could
include:
 Requirement for incorporation Stage 1 & Stage 2 fuel vapour recovery;
 Maximisation of buffer for fuel storage tank vents from school boundary;
 Provision of tall screening vegetation (such as Elaeocarpus eumundii) between the bowsers
   and the school boundary to aid in vapour plume dispersal;
 Monitoring of operational emissions to ensure air quality objectives are met;
 Extensive standard conditions applying to service station developments to address
   Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and Environmental Protection Act requirements;
   and
 Requirement for a disaster management plan;
Such measures would seek to achieve best practice for a service station development. In
particular, Stage 2 vapour recovery (containing refuelling vapours from bowser nozzles) is a
control not currently seen in the Noosa area. Despite measures that may be incorporated, the
use will still result in increases in harmful emissions in close proximity of the school’s facilities
where children congregate. It is also important to note the assessment of health risks for this
application has not been exhaustive. Some concerns remain regarding other ingestion pathways
for VOCs (other than inhalation) such as via pool water ingestion or contact, but this is beyond
the expertise of specialists involved to date and would require studies by other medical/chemical
specialists.
The extent of workplace health and safety restrictions applied to service stations also reflects
their significant safety risk. Whilst the likelihood of a fuel explosion at a new development may
be low, the result at this location could be catastrophic.
A true best practice land use planning approach is to avoid the close proximity of the service
station to the school. The Sustainable Planning Act provides for the application of a
precautionary principle when considering development and describes it as: the principle that lack
of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing a measure to prevent
degradation of the environment if there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental
damage.
Given the proximity of very young children to this development it is considered appropriate to
apply a precautionary principle to avoid the service station use on the site due to the risks to their
health and safety. The development is considered to conflict with the Specific and Overall
Outcomes of the Noosaville Locality Code and Business Uses Code that seek to ensure new
uses are compatible with existing uses and do not introduce unacceptable impacts or risks.
Traffic
Public submissions to the application raise concerns the development may exacerbate existing
traffic congestion in the area during school during drop off and pick up times for the Good
Shepherd School. Council’s Transport and Traffic Planning Section indicate they have concerns
with existing congestion in the area as well as the potential impact of the loss of the site for
informal parking currently used by the school. Council officers have met with the school and
members of the local Traffic Advisory Committee and would prefer the owner place the
application on hold until off-site traffic issues associated with the development are further
discussed. However, this is outside the assessment framework for this application and no such
direction has been received from the owner or applicant. It is also important to note the site does
not form part of the required car parking for the school under existing development approvals.

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